Born in Drobeta Turnu Severin on May 10, 1970, Mihai-Viorel Fifor graduated from the Letters and History Faculty of the University of Craiova in 1994. The following year, he received his Master’s Degree in Romanian Literature, and in 2003, his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology (MAGNA CUM LAUDE) from the said University. Since 2003, he has held a Master’s Degree in Public Institution Management from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest. In 2009 he attended the Internal Affairs Management courses of the National College of Internal Affairs, and the Security and Good Governance courses of the National Defense College, both in Bucharest.

Work Experience
From 1994 to 2002, he joined the Romanian Academy’s “C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor” Social Studies Research Institute in Craiova, as a Senior Research Scientist, and from 2001 to 2005 he was a Research Scientist and Director of the Dolj “Regional Center for Conservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture” in Craiova. From 2005 to January 2009, and subsequently, from October 2009 to 2012, he served as General Manager of the “Oltenia” Museum in Craiova.
Since 2003, he has been an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Craiova. 

Political Career
The political career of Mihai-Viorel Fifor includes positions such as State Secretary in the Ministry of Administration and Interior (from January to October 2009, and from May to December 2012), Senator of the Romanian Parliament (since 2012, as a member of the Social Democratic Party), Minister of Economy (from June to September 2017), and on September 12, he was appointed Minister of National Defense.

Mihai-Viorel Fifor is fluent in English, French and German.